Air France-KLM has reported a €1.2 billion loss for the primary quarter of 2021.
As authorities lockdowns to manage Covid-19 continued throughout Europe, the group flew 4.eight million passengers through the quarter.
The determine represents a fall of 73 per cent year-on-year.
In an announcement the provider added: “As a result of stricter lockdown in France till at the least the start of Could, continuation of the lockdown within the Netherlands and journey restrictions worldwide nonetheless in place, the group anticipates the start of the second quarter to be much like the primary quarter whereby the client reserving behaviour remains to be short-term oriented.
“The important thing to scale back journey restrictions and reopen borders is a fast rollout of wide-scale vaccination.”
Air France-KLM mentioned it expects its general capability in quarter two to be about half of that seen in the identical quarter of 2019.
That is forward of rival Worldwide Airways Group, which this morning said it expects to fly round 1 / 4 of pre-Covid-19 capability.
Ben Smith, group chief government at Air France-KLM, mentioned: “A yr into the Covid-19 disaster, lockdown measures and journey restrictions in our residence markets and all over the world proceed to strongly affect the group’s exercise.
“On this ever-challenging setting, the group has however proven its resilience, sustaining a strict management of its capability and prices.”
He added: “The success of the primary set of capital-strengthening measures accomplished in April permits us to sit up for the summer season season with higher confidence, hoping that the progress of the vaccination rollout worldwide and the implementation of journey passes will permit borders to reopen and site visitors to get better.”
“Within the meantime, we now have accelerated the implementation of our transformation plan to construct a strong post-crisis mannequin.
“This consists of the execution of our voluntary departure plans, that are progressing as anticipated.”
